Teaching Citizenship as a Discrete Subject - Essay Example

The Advantages of teaching Citizenship as a discrete over teaching it through other and Section # of course> The following pages will essentially look into the issue of teaching Citizenship as a discrete subject over teaching it through other subject areas of the curriculum and also its advantages. We will also explore why it needs to be taught. What benefits does it seem to provide students Teaching Citizenship as a discreet subject: It is considered that teaching citizenship in schools is both an exhilarating and an exigent vision. It is exhilarating because it offers opportunities to work with young people on 'real life' issues and topics. It is exigent because it calls for considerable span of knowledge, interests and fervour to approach teaching and learning in new and energetic way. It is mostly observed to appeal to individuals who possess deep interest in the personal development of young individuals as they transform to become vigorous and responsible members of society. Citizenship, exclusively, is both a discrete subject and also a culture - which is a way of living with its own distinct set of values, attitudes and nature which supports continuous lifelong learning. Since citizenship education is so completely new to the curriculum in most schools, the timetable contexts in which it takes place are likely to vary quite considerably. 'Many schools are recognizing the wider benefits of citizenship and offer 'special themed days' with a collapsed timetable and specialist speakers. In some schools, citizenship may be part of, and an extension to, existing programme of Pastoral, Social and Health Education (PSHE). In others there may be timetable slots quite explicitly labelled 'Citizenship'. In yet others, the requirements of the citizenship curriculum may be addressed within a framework of 'Humanities' teaching. Still other schools may decide to address citizenship in a totally 'embedded' cross-curricular way, identifying specific elements of the citizenship curriculum to be included in individual subject departments' schemes of work. Some schools are taking the opportunity to reflect on their organisation and are embracing a citizenship ethos in which citizenship concepts and knowledge are developed through active participation and greater learner responsibility. These schools have effective schools councils, student consultation and representation, shadowing, specialist student training, peer work, whole school special focus days, local and national student elections, involvement with other schools and links with the wider community including their local councilors and MP. Trainees on the course are encouraged to see themselves, first and foremost, as citizenship teachers capable of straddling most, if not all, of the fields of knowledge and pedagogical approaches to which reference has been made. Realistically, and in order to build a viable personal teaching timetable while on school experience, there may be a need to undertake some work in a 'traditional' subject allied to your degree specialism. Some students, (for example, those with degrees in psychology or sociology), may be able to contribute to post-16 teaching in these subjects. Trainees will need to be enterprising; prepared to take considerable responsibility for their own professional development; daring enough to want to shape the future of citizenship education; and dedicated to (and preferably with some successful experience of) 'making a difference' to the lives of young people'. (Graduate School of Education, Copyright 2007 - University of Bristol.) Teaching Citizenship through history: 'Citizenship and History can be seen as natural partners - this was confirmed by Sir Bernard Crick, the founding father of the modern Citizenship education movement in England: " My personal view, that I have had to be a little bit discreet about at times, is that of all the other subjects History may have (should have) overall the greatest role to playSeeley long ago said that politics without history has no root, and that history without politics has no fruit [Foreword to J.Arthur (2001)]. The Crick Report noted that: "The emphasis in History on the use of evidence and processes of enquiry can help pupils to discuss and reach informed judgements about topical and contemporary issues which are the lifeblood of citizenship and to develop the confidence to take informed action".(Citizenship through history As Ian Davies (2001) has written: "It is a cause of professional concern that the links between history education and citizenship education have in real terms been neglected. The outpouring of rhetoric is a poor substitute for a few good lessons on a regular basis in all our schools' (Brett )' There also exists deeper-rooted philosophical concerns among some History teachers relating to the idea that the discipline of history might be used in order to serve some other moral and social agenda - Kinloch (1998), for example, has argued that history's intrinsic goals and practices should be the only starting point and measure of quality in classroom history. There is a reputable lineage in this view linking to the thinking of influential historians such as Sir Geoffrey Elton who concluded that, "the historian is in the first place concerned with the people of the past - with their experiences, thoughts and actions - and not with the people of the present, least of all with himself".(Elton, 1991). History is not alone in taking a cautious view about the potentially annexationist implications of Citizenship. Several R.E. specialists have also been keen to delineate the frontiers and differences between R.E. and Citizenship as being as significant as the commonalities [e.g. Watson (2002); Blaylock (2003); Huddleston (2003)]' (Brett ) Bearing in mind the exploitation of historical connotation in the classroom, Martin Hunt takes as his preliminary point the issue, "How can historical significance are used to answer the question, 'Why are we studying this'". Hunt argues that: "History teaching is enlivened when pupils feel that they can engage with issues that they see as still relevant to their lives today. It is also enlivened when pupils, either individually or in groups, are asked to make decisions. The consideration of significance promotes not only the ability to explain and support a case, but also encourages pupils to consider where they stand on some of the significant and enduring issues that arise from the study of people in the past" (Hunt, 2000 : 52). There are some very essential lessons to be learned by citizenship educators from developments in History pedagogy in the past 10-15 years and the opinion and effort of citizens like Denis Shemilt (1987), Christine Counsell (2000), Tony McAleavey (1994), Alaric Dickinson (1997) , Peter Lee (1996) and Michael Riley (1997, 2000). They also have been very dominant in aiding teachers identify amalgamating 'general idea' and 'profundity' approaches, also aiding to develop key questions in pupils' minds and consequently planning a specific sequence of lessons which aim towards the declaration of an interesting historical problem through means of a considerable and encouraging activity towards the end. Conceivably less methodically explored has been the extent to which History teachers can aid their students to take upon a knowledgeable act. Main Argument: Citizenship Education One Year on - What does it mean: Emerging Definitions and Approaches in the First Year of National Curriculum Citizenship in England. 'The searches for this review reveal that the literature remains sparse concerning how schools are approaching citizenship education in the curriculum. This is because we are, as OFSTED (2003) note, at a 'very early stage of a major school initiative' (p. 4) in citizenship with the new subject still 'emergent' in terms of curriculum content, location and approach. The most comprehensive insights are provided by OFSTED (2003) and QCA (2003b). OFSTED report the findings from visits to 25 schools to evaluate provision of citizenship as a statutory national curriculum subject. Meanwhile, QCA (2003b) report on the monitoring of citizenship education based on a survey of 10 per cent of primary and secondary schools, teacher focus groups, school case studies and consultation with young people in schools. Jerome (2001), however, indicates that the apparently opposite views on the curriculum location of citizenship education (citizenship education should be a discrete subject area versus citizenship education should be integrated across the curriculum) should be viewed as part of a continuum, rather than as mutually exclusive positions. He argues that one size of citizenship cannot fit all and the success of the initiative rests on its very flexibility. In short, citizenship will be most successful where it becomes a unifying element within the curriculum, and where schools use it to further their existing aims as well as appreciating how it helps them to empower young people. Commentators and academics also continue to question the motives behind the introduction of citizenship as part of the national curriculum. Greenwood and Robins (2002), for example, perhaps reflecting the first of Bottery's (2003) future scenarios for citizenship education, argue that the reason citizenship is a contested concept in schools may stem from the fact that teachers are distrusting of the government, viewing citizenship as part of a hidden agenda: as a politically fashioned 'quick-fix' to the increase in youth disaffection, violence and criminality. As they state, 'one problem is that citizenship has proved to be an infinitely malleable concept in the minds of politicians' which is refashioned on a regular basis in line with the prevailing ideology' This, in turn, raises questions which stem from Greenwood and Robins' reflection on historical evidence:'.( Kerr and Cleaver National Foundation for Educational Research 2004) Conclusion After reviewing all of the content, quotes stated above, it can be concluded that teaching citizenship as a discreet subject would have more impact on pupils minds than, when it would be taught through integration of Citizenship subject with other subjects. The advantages of doing so are many: 'The Ajegbo Review suggests a series of ways in which to raise the status, visibility and credibility of citizenship including a preferred model of discrete delivery and the creation of a full-GCSE. In contrast, Vision versus Pragmatism suggests that altering such structural aspects of delivery may not have wholly positive results. Although delivery of citizenship as a discrete subject appears to have many natural advantages to recommend it, it can: encourage more traditional teaching and learning approaches that limit the ability to introduce active/interactive methods; promote more traditional assessment practices based around tests and examinations that limit opportunities for self-assessment and peer assessment and; limit flexibility, through the topics covered, to be able to respond to current and topical events as they arise. The experiences of our Study schools suggest that delivery model is not the only determining factor as to the effectiveness of citizenship. Rather, any model of delivery, whether it be discrete, through PSHE modules or cross-curricular, is likely to be effective if citizenship is taught by small, dedicated teams ,has strong and clear leadership and direction is well supported through up-to-date, accessible lesson plans and resources'.(New NFER citizenship education research challengesthe Ajegbo Review ,Kerr And Cleaver ) Bibliography 1. Keith Ajegbo, (2007) Diversity and Citizenship - Curriculum Review, DfES Publication 2. Brett, P. (2003) Citizenship Through History - What is good practices 3. Bailey, R. (2000), Teaching Values and Citizenship across the Curriculum, London, Kogan Page. 4. Learning to teach Citizenship and the teaching of Democracy in schools, London: QCA 5. Wales, J. and Clarke, P. (2005) Learning Citizenship: Practical Teaching strategies for Secondary Schools, London: Routlidge Falmer 6. OFSTED (2003a) Implementing Citizenship in Secondary Schools, London , OFSTED 7. Kerr, D and Cleaver, L. (2004), Citizenship education longitudinal study: literature review- citizenship . 8. Graduate School of Education, Copyright 2007 - University of Bristol. 9. Citizenship through history, 10. Batchelor, A (2003) "Are you wearing your citizenship spectacles" 11. Kinloch, N (1998) Learning about the Holocaust: moral or historical question 12. Peter Brett, Citizenship through history. Author. (year) title. Place. Publisher Author (year) title. Web title [Internet]. Available from [Accessed 19 November 2007] Read More